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Synonyms

take shape

Idioms  

  1. Also, shape up. Turn out, develop, acquire a distinctive form, as in Her reelection campaign is already taking shape, two years before the election, or Can you tell us how the book is shaping up? The first term dates from the mid-1700s and the variant, originally put as shape out, from about 1600.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The field of candidates did not take shape until the week of the February filing deadline.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026

A tentative rebound began to take shape at the end of 2025 as the German government’s stimulus package—worth up to around $1 trillion for manufacturing and defense—started to lift demand.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

At the same time, the struggle over Iran's future leadership is already beginning to take shape.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026

An international group of astronomers has identified a faraway planetary system that calls into question one of the most widely accepted ideas about how planets take shape.

From Science Daily • Feb. 14, 2026

Then the wheels in my head began to turn and my ridiculous plan began to take shape.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.